


Preparations

by wafflelate



Series: Mist POVs [3]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Grass Chuunin Exams, Kirigakure | Hidden Mist Village, Outside POV of Konoha and Konoha Nin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 14:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate
Summary: Zabuza has to make sure these four genin are ready for anyone they might face in the Grass exams.





	Preparations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CookieBlaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieBlaze/gifts).



The kids have already met all of the Leaf genin who will be in the finals, so when Zabuza goes over the foreign genin with Haku, Chōjūrō, and the twins, he leaves them for last. Mei sits apart from them, behind the twins, and watches. She imagines that this is exactly how he’d taught Haku to assimilate information on enemies on the road: not just telling them information, but provoking them into making plans and hypothesizing about how to fight them. He makes them all take turns guessing about the capabilities of the ninja based on their photos first, then gives them the name and a few more details, then _finally_ hands over the entire file.

And then... they get to the Leaf genin. And Zabuza pauses. At first Mei thinks it’s because he’s considering changing his approach, but something about his posture is wrong for that. It’s not quite the battle-ready tension that means Zabuza is spoiling for a fight, but he’s certainly found something that disturbs him in the Leaf genin. 

Mei hadn’t known Zabuza _could_ be disturbed. 

Zabuza pulls what he was looking at out of the file — a photo, which as usual he slides across the table so that the kids can look at it. 

It’s Rock Lee. Maito Gai’s protégé. Mei can see the green of his body suit from where she sits. 

Yoro cracks a smile, and Shiki giggles. They look at each other and both burst into belly laughs — they’re both so terribly, wonderfully young. 

“Lee-san always looks so silly,” Yoro gasps. 

Shiki wheezes, “Thumbs-up!” and mimics Rock Lee’s pose from the picture. 

Mei is sure she sees a shiver crawl up Zabuza’s spine. 

Haku studies the picture carefully, obviously tipped off that there’s something more important about this foreign genin than he’d previously thought from Zabuza’s reaction, and offers, “He’s clearly a heavy taijutsu user. A specialist.” 

“Yes,” Zabuza says. “You’ll probably never run into a taijutsu specialist as dangerous as this Leaf genin unless you run afoul of his teacher.” 

Haku nods. “High endurance, dangerous in close-combat. I would use ranged attacks.” He looks to Chōjūrō for his opinion, clearly deciding the twins will be lost to their mirth for awhile longer. 

Chōjūrō, who had been watching the twins with fond exasperation, suddenly leans over to study the picture with an ill look on his face. “I’d run away,” he says. “Or forfeit, or however the exam works.” 

Haku looks at the picture again, then looks back at Chōjūrō. “Zabuza-sama wouldn’t allow us to decide the only strategy was to run away when we discussed fighting Sand’s jinchūriki, so I doubt that’s acceptable here. With the extra reach from your sword, you would probably be more suited to close-combat with him.” 

“Are you _crazy?_ ” Chōjūrō demands. He looks at Zabuza. “Bowing out is the right choice, right?” 

The twins have quieted, looking between Chōjūrō and Zabuza carefully, afraid they’ve missed something. 

Shiki offers, “But he just looks... kinda goofy?” 

Yoro adds, “Lee is really nice, we did that friendship handshake with him.” 

“He looks like a _Maito_ ,” Chōjūrō corrects. 

Both of the twins make surprised noises, and then Yoro grabs the photo so that they can study it more closely. 

“He’s not,” Zabuza says. “His name is Rock Lee. But he _is_ one of Maito Gai’s genin — distance is the only defense.” He nods at Haku in acknowledgement, then looks at Chōjūrō. “Evasion might not be possible in the exam. What if you _have_ to fight him?” 

Mei can practically see Chōjūrō break out into a cold sweat. He asks, “You think he might target me?” 

“I’ve never heard of the Maito,” Haku says thoughtfully. “Do they have a strong bloodline limit?” 

The other three kids turn to look at him. 

“How do you not _know?_ ” asks Shiki, sounding fascinated. 

Haku spreads his hands in front of him defensively. “I was raised in the woods by a missing-nin.” 

The kids all turn and look at Zabuza in one synchronized movement. Mei can only see the back of the twins’ heads, but Chōjūrō is looking at Zabuza with shocked betrayal. 

“You didn’t warn him about the Maito?” Chōjūrō demands.”You’ve let him go _unprepared_ , Zabuza-sensei?” 

In unison, the twins say, “He could have died!” 

“Shut up, all of you,” Zabuza snaps. Then he mumbles something like, “I didn’t think it would ever be relevant,” before launching into a short explanation about Maito Dai for Haku’s benefit. 


End file.
